Hoover Church of Christ Sermons

Hoover Church of Christ Sermons

By Hoover Church of ChristReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
Download on the App Store

Hoover Church of Christ Sermons episodes

  • Self-Control and the Christian Walk
    Our One Word for the upcoming week is Self-Control, and it’s in the section of our devotional reading that has to do with Christian Character. In other words, Christians ought to be characterized by self-control.
    Everyone wants it, right? Or at least we want more of it. We want the ability to resist the slice of cheesecake after dinner, or to resist vegging out in front of Netflix for a couple of hours, or to stay away from mindless internet surfing, or whatever.
    But of course it’s more serious than any of those would reflect. Some Christians need to stay away from alcohol, or pornography, or gossip, or anger. Many Christians need to be more disciplined in prayer, in meditation, in Bible reading. All of us must confess that our self-control has let us down more than we’d like to admit.
    The age-old question is, “How can I develop more self-control?” How can we strengthen our ability to say “no” to things God has warned us about? Is it just something we’re born with (or without), or are there things we can do to grow in this area?
    35 min
  • As I Have Loved You
    Our One Word for the upcoming week is Love, and it’s in the section of our devotional reading that has to do with Christian Character. In other words, Christians ought to be characterized by love.
    Of all the gospels, John has the lengthiest discussion of what Jesus said and did on the eve of his crucifixion. In this part of Jesus’s life, there’s a consistent emphasis. After the Last Supper, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, then he connected this action with what he was about to do for them the next day.
    In the verses just prior to our text (John 15:1-11), Jesus taught us about the importance of the branches’ connection to the vine. They bear fruit to the extent that they remain connected to the vine–a crucial point for us to understand.
    Then–in our paragraph–Jesus comes to his main point: his followers must show love for one another, a theme that consumes much of this chapter and the following ones. The command, “Love one another,” though, isn’t surprising, but Jesus doesn’t stop there. He says, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
    There’s a kind of pseudo-love that’s much easier and much less demanding. It’s a “love” that’s contingent on the actions of the recipient. I love you, perhaps, because I like you or because you’ve been good to me, or whatever. Or maybe we love one another as long as it doesn’t cost us too much.
    That’s not Jesus’s love, though. He tells us to love one another as he has loved us. What does that look like?
    Just a few hours later Jesus would go to a wooden cross not far out of Jerusalem and show us what he meant.
    “I love you like this,” he said.
    “So you love one another like this.
    29 min

About Hoover Church of Christ Sermons

From the publisher's feed

Our church family here is a loving, close-knit group of Christians trying our best to live for Christ. We’re not perfect, of course, but we’re striving each day to let God’s Word be our guide for everything we do—in everyday life, at work, at school, at church. . . everywhere. Many of us come from different backgrounds, and we work in various fields, but we share a common love for Jesus Christ and His church and look for opportunities to share that love with others.